Actress Ellen Page comes out of the closet

LAS VEGAS - Hollywood actress Ellen Page said she was gay during a speech at Time to THRIVE, a conference held in Las Vegas to promote the welfare of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.

“I’m here today because I am gay. And because maybe I can make a difference," said the 26-year-old star of Juno, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Inception.

Adding that she wanted to "help others have an easier and more hopeful time", Page also spoke about the entertainment industry's unrealistic standards of beauty and success.

“You have ideas planted in your head, thoughts you never had before, that tell you how you have to act, how you have to dress and who you have to be. I have been trying to push back, to be authentic, to follow my heart, but it can be hard.”